Archaeological Expedition to Search for Remains of Noah’s Ark

April 25, 1957

LONDON (Apr. 24)

An archaeological expedition has been organized to make a thorough search of Mt. Ararat, in Turkey, in an effort to locate there the remains of the original Noah’s Ark, the Daily Telegraph reported from Ankara today.

Many efforts had been made in the past to find the site on Mt. Ararat where, according to the Bible, Noah’s Ark landed after the deluge described in the Bible. This time, however, there is a clue considered “most important” by scientists. The clue is an ancient piece of wood found buried in a glacier 14, 000 feet up on Mt. Ararat, on the Turkish side of the mountain, near the Soviet border. A French explorer, Dr. Fernand Navarra, found the ancient chip and tests showed it was wood more than 5, 000 years old. The presumption is that the wood may be from the Ark.

The archaeological expedition, this summer, will be headed by Egerton Sykes, an Englishman, and will include Dr. Navarra as well as Dr. Negati Dolounay, director of the Turkish Department of Antiquities. The latter is quoted as saying that, if necessary, Turkish Army troops will be used to remove the thick walls of glacial ice surrounding what is now believed to be the site of the Ark,